Speed regulator for revolving doors



July 11, 1933.

R. L BLANCHARD SPEED REGULATOR FOR REVOLVING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet lFilgd Oct. '15, 1930 INVENTOR FaberZ'L. Blanchard BY W ATTORNEYS rIIIIIIIIIII Ill/I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ July 11, 1933. L BLANCHARD1,918,176

SPEED REGULATOR FOR REVOLVING DOORS Filed Oct. 15, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Robertll Blanchard v'r BY M ATTORNEYS WITNESSES July 11, 1933.R. L. BLANCHARD SPEED REGULATOR FOR REVOLVING DOORS Filed Oct. 15, 19303 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Patented July 11, 1933 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFIQE ROBERT L. BLANCHARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORTO'VAN KAN NEL REVOLVING DOOR COMPANY, 015 NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SPEED REGULATOR FOR REVOLVING DOORSApplication filed October 15, 1930. Serial No. 488,976.

This invention relates to revolving doors, and has particular referenceto a mechanism for controlling the speed of rotation thereof.

While revolving doors possess many advantages over swinging doors, theyare open to the one serious objection that there is no effective meansfor limiting their speed of rotation, thus allowing them to be spun orrevolved so rapidly that users thereof in some in instances arecompelled to either wait until the speed is gradually reduced by loss ofmomentum or else risk possible injury in attempting to manually retardthe speed of rotation of the door. V

It is, therefore, the broad object of the present invention to provide amechanism which functions to preclude the rotation of a revolving doorabove a predetermined speed while permitting of a free turning of thedoor at any speed less than said predeter-.

mined speed.

The invention further comprehends a speed controlling mechanism for arevolving door,

which serves to retard the speed of rotation 22' thereof when the speedreaches a predetermined maximum, without actually bringing the door to astop and in which said mechanism instantly functions to render the speedretarding means inactive when it drops below 38 the predeterminedmaximum.

In view of the fact that revolving doors are usually mounted to admit ofshifting movement of the same laterally to a folded out-of-the-wayposition, the present invention comprehends a speed controlling meanswhich does not interfere with the shifting movement.

As a further object, the invention resides in the provision of a speedcontrolling mechanism for revolving doors which includes means by virtueof which the maximum speed may be regulated.

Other objects of the invention reside in the comparative simplicity ofconstruction and mode of operation of the mechanism, the economy withwhich it may be produced and installed and the general efliciencyderived therefrom.

With the above recited and other objects in view, reference is had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in

define the actual scope of the same.

In the drawings: Figure 1 1s afragmentary plan View of a revolving doorequipped with a speed controlling mechanism constructed in accordancewith the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken approximately onthe line indicated at 22 inFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line3-3of Figure 1, 1llustrating the mechanism in its normal inactivecondition. I

Figure 4 is a similar View illustrating the mechanism in its activeposition for retard- 1ng the speed of rotation of the door.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse fragmentary sectional view takenapproximately onthe line indicated at 55 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the door carriage allywith respect to the speed controlling mechanism. 7

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, Adesignatesgenerally the usual carriage, from which the revolving door B issuspended for rotation on a depending shaft C, the carriage being Inorder to provide means for-retarding provided with. rollers D movableover the overhead tracks E 7 extending transversely of the opening inshifted lateri the speed of rotation of the door, any suitable form ofbrake may be employed, which in the control the application of the brakeband to *present instance is generally indicated 'by the braking surfaceof the drum 10, for the purpose of retarding the speed of rotation ofthe door B.

In order to provide means operable by the rotation of the door B when itreaches a predetermined rate of speed for effecting the application ofthe brake, a governor is employcd, which is designated generally by thereference character G, and said governor-is installed alongside ofthecarriage tracks E and is enclosed in a casing or housing 14. Thegovernor is of the ordinary centrifugal type, including a stationaryshaft having a non-slidable rotary head 16 and a slidable rotary head 17with weight arms 18 fulcrumed to the non-slidable head 16and provided atthe free ends with weights 19, while links 20 are connected respectivelyto t weight arms '18 and the slidable head 17, so

that upon rotation of the head at a given speed, the weight arms 18 willmove radially outward by centrifugal force to slice the slidable head 17toward the non-slidable head 16.

Rotation is imparted in the present instance to the governor head 16from the revolving door by a friction sheave 21, which is suitablysecured tothe revolving door' shaft C and which engages with a frictionwheel 22 mounted withinthe governor casing or housing 14, while thefriction wheel 22; in turn engages with a friction sheave 23 secured tothe head 16. The periphery of the friction wheel 22 is normally urgedinto contact with the grooved periphery of the friction sheave 21through a slot 24 in the side of the casing or housing14, by means of acoiled contractile spring 25 which is secured respectively at itsoppositeends 26 and 27 to the casing and to .the free end of a bracketarm 28 fulcrumed at 29 to the casing, the friction wheel 22 beingmounted for rotation on a depending spindle 30 of the bracket arm. Thebracket arm is guided and limited in its movement by a guide strap 31 onthe casing or housing 14.

Thegovernor'shaft15 is secured to and de pends from a slide 32, whichslide is in turn carried ;for longitudinal adjustment by the bracketarni 28 and is adjusted by an adjusting screw 33 which functions toinsure the proper frictional engagement of the grooved periphery ofthefriction sheave 23with the friction wheel 22, said adjustment alsofunctioning to compensate'for wear on the engaging. peripheries of thefriction wheel and 'ih'eave'22 and 231 The means for movingthe brakeactuating arm 12-cons1sts of a lever 35 which is fulcrume-d as at 36 ona pro ecting ear 37 of ..the casing and which extends inwardly througha, slot 38 in the casing or housing with its inner end 39 disposed inthe path of movement of the terminal 40 of an adjustable actuating screw41 which. is threaded through .one armt42iofia'bell crank 43 fulcrumcdas at 44 on an upstanding bracket 45 of the bottom wall of the casing orhousing 14. A coiled contractile; spring 46 has its opposite extremities47 and 48 respectively connected with the inner end 39 of the lever 35and the casing or housing 14, to normally swing said end 39 into contactwith the extremity 40 of the adjustable screw 41. The remaining arm 48of the bell crank 43 is linked by a link 49 to one. arm of thebelle-rank 50 whichis fulcrumed as at 51to a bracket 52 within thecasing or housing 14, and the opposite arm of the bell crank 50 isconnected by a rod 53 to the core 54 of a solenoid 55. The solenoid 55is controlled by a mercury switch 56 of any of the conventional typesnow on the market. The mercury switch is in turn carried by the arm57'of a bell'crank 58 which is fulcrumed as at 5910 a bracket 60 withinthe casing or housin 14. The bell crank is rocked through the mediumofthe engagement of the forked terminal 61 of its remainingarm 62, whichforkedterminal is provided with trunnions 63 engagin in the annularperipheral groove 64 of the slidable head'17 of the governor. In orderto regulate the speed at which the governor will function to rock thebell crank 58 for the purpose of closing the circuit to the solenoid, ascale beam 65 is secured to the .arm 57 and is provided with an adustable tilt the switch 56 to close the circuit. It thus follows thatrotation of the door B at the rate of fourteen revolutions per minute orany speed therebelow will not be suflicient'to rock the bell crank 62and, hence, the door will revolve freely at all. speeds up to and in-','cluding fourteen revolutions per minute. If

an attempt is made to revolvethe'door atfifteen or more revolutions perminute, the governor G will instantly function to rock the bell crank 58and tilt the switch 56 sufficient to effect the closing of the circuitto the solejnoid. Thisimm'ediately energizes the solenoid and drawsinwardly on the core 54 and rod 53 connected thereto and' through themedium of, the bell cranks 50 and 43 swings the lever 35 to movetheactuator arm 12 for expanding the brake hand 11 against the brakingsurface of the brake drum 10 to offer .a resistance tothe turningmovement of the door and retard its revolutionary movement.

Instantly, the actionof the brake in retarding the speed of rotation ofthe door pern its the weighted governor arms 18 to slide the slidablehead 17 downwardly and rock the bell crank 58 and switch 56 to break thecircuit tothe solenoid and de -energizes the same 7 The spring 46immediately swings the lever 35 to its normal position and releases thebraking force of the brake. It thus follows that the mechanism describedfunctions to restrict the speed at which a revolving door may berotated, thereby positively precluding the possibility of spinning orrapidly rotating the same above a speed conducive of safety to the usersthereof. It is also appar ent that the maximum speed may be regulated bya simple adjustment of the weight 66 on the scale beam 65, it beingobvious that the greater distance the weight 66 is moved from the bellcrank arm 57, the higher the maximum speed pos ible will obtain, andvice versa. The adjustment screw ll functions to permit of a regulationof the braking force to be applied. It is also apparent that due to themounting of the friction sheave 21 and friction wheel 22, that themechanism for controlling the speed of the door will not interfere withthe lateral shifting of the door when folded, as the sheave 21 will camthe friction wheel 22 inwardly when it is moved from the open laterallyshifted folded position to the active position.

lVhile there has been illustrated and described a single and preferredembodiment of the invention, no limitation is necessarily intended tothe precise structural details, as

variations and modifications which properly fall within the scope of theclaims may be resorted to when desired.

lVhat is claimed is 1. The combination of a revolving door -;-.nd meansactuated by a force that is inde pendent of the force applied to thedoor for revolving the same and rendered active by rotation of said doorat a predetermined rate of speed for retarding the speed of rotation ofsaid door.

2. The combination with a revolving door of normally inactive meansactuated by a force that is independent of the force applied to thedoonfor revolving the same for retarding the turning movement of thedoor and means operable by the rotation of the door at a predeterminedrate of speed for rendering said first means active.

3. The combination with a revolving door of a normally inactive brakeactuated by a force that is independent of the force applied to the doorfor revolving the same for retarding the turning movement of the doorand governor controlled means operable by the tion of thedoor at apredetermined rate f need for rendering said brake active.

4. The combination with a revolving door of normally inactive meansactuated by a force that is independent of the force applied ":o thedoor for revolving the same for retardi g the turning movement ofthedoor, means operable by the rotation of the doorat a prede ermined limeans active and means'for regulating said second means to vary thedetermined rate of speed for rendering said means, a door actuatedgovernor forcontrolling said switch and a counterweight for regulatingsaid governor.

7. In a revolving door, a brake actuated by a force independent of thatapplied to the door for revolving the same and effective to exert aforce to retard the turning movement of the door, means normally holdingsaid brake inactive and mechanism operable by the rotation of said doorat a predetermined speed to render said brake effective.

8. A. device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toprevent rotation of the door above a predetermined maximum, andmechanism actuated by a force independent of that applied to the doorfor revolving the same and rendered active by rotation of the door atsaid predetermined speed for rendering the brake means active;

9. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including brake means actuated by a force independent of the forceapplied to the door for turning the same and functioning when active toprevent rotation of the door above a predetermined maximum, andmechanism operable by rotation of the door at and below saidpredetermined speed for respectively rendering the brake means activeand inactive.

10. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means actuated by a forceindependent of the force applied to the door for turning the same andfunctioning when actuated, to retard the rotation of the door andmechanism operable by rotation of the door at said predetermined speedfor rendering the brake means effective.

11. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotationof'the lilcontrolling the electro-magnet and acentrifugal governor operable by rotation of the door when revolved atsaid predetermined rate of speed for operating the switch to energizethe electro-ma-gnet.

12. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotation of the door and mechanism operable by rotation ofthe door at said predetermined speed for rendering the brake meanseffective, said mechanism including an electro-magnet operativelyconnected with the brake means and adapted when energized to effect theapplication of said brake means, a switch for controlling theelectro-magnet, a centrifugal governor operable by rotation of the doorwhen revolved at said predetermined rate of speed for operating theswitch to energize the electro-magnet and means for regulating thegovernor to vary the speed of rotation of the door, at which saidgovernor functions.

13. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotation of the door and mechanism operable by rotation ofthe doorat said predetermined speed for rendering the brake meanseffective, said mechanism including an electro-magnet operativelyconnected with the brake means and adapted when energized to effect theapplication of said brake means, a switch for controlling theelectro-magnet, a centrifugal governor operable by rotation of the doorwhen revolved at said predetermined rate of speed for operating theswitch to energize the electro-magnet and an adjustable weight forregulating the governor to vary the speed of rotation, at which thegovernor functions.

14:. A device for regulating the maximum speed of rotation of arevolving door, including an electro-magnetically controlled brake and aswitch for actuating said electromagnetically controlled brake, saidswitch operable by the speed of rotation of the door.

15. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotation of the door and mechanism operable by rotation ofthe door at said predetermined speed for ren dering the brake means efective, said mechanism including an electro-magnetoperatively connectedwith the brake means and adapated when energized to effect the application of said brake means, a switch for controlling theelectro-magnet, a centrifugal governor operable by rotation of the doorwhen revolved at said predetermined rate of speed for operating theswitch toenergize the eloctro-magnet and means for transmitting rotarymotion to said governor consisting of a friction sheave on the doorshaft, a fricdoor at said predetermined speed for rendering the brakemeans effective, said mechanism including an electro-magnet operativelyconnected with the brake means and adapted when energized to effect theapplication of said brake means, a switch for controlling theelectro-magnet, a centrifugal governor operable by rotation of the doorwhen re volved at said predetermined rate of speed for operating theswitch to energize the electro-magnet, means for transmitting rotarymotion to said governor consisting of a friction sheave on the doorshaft, a friction sheave on the governor and afriction wheelrespectively engaging said sheaves and tensioned means forurging thefriction wheel against the sheave on the door shaft.

17. A. device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a nomally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotation of the door and mechanism operable by rotation ofthe door at said predetermined speed for rendering the brake meanseffective, said mechanism including an electro-magnet operatively connected with the brake means and adapted when energized to effect theapplication of said brake means, a switch for controlling theelectro-magnet, acentrifugal governor operable by rotation of the doorwhen revolved at said predetermined rate of speed for operating theswitch to energize the electro-magnet, means for transmitting rotarymotion to saidgovernor consisting of a friction sheave on the doorshaft, a friction sheave on the governor and a friction wheelrespectively engaging said sheaves, tensioned means for urging thefriction wheel against the sheave on the door shaft and means foradvancing the governor sheave against the friction wheel.

18. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means operable when actuated toretard the rotation of the door and mechanism operable by rotation ofthe t'ion sheave on the door shaft, a friction sheave on the governorand a friction wheel respectively engaging said sheaves, tensioned meansfor urging the friction wheel against the sheave on the door shaft,means for advancing the governor sheave against the friction wheel and acommon mounting for said friction wheel and governor sheave.

19. In a revolving door of the type which includes a laterally shiftablecarriage from which the door is suspended for rotation, a device forregulating the maximum speed of rotation of the door including anormally inactive brake means carried by the door carriage and adaptedwhen actuated to retard rotation of the door, mechanism mounted on astationary support operable by rotation of the door at a predeterminedspeed for rendering the brake means active and coacting means fortransmitting motion from the door to said mechanism.

20. A device for cont-rolling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means actuated byv a forceindependent of the force applied to the door for turning the same andfunctioning when actuated, to prevent rotation of the door above apredetermined maximum, mechanism operable revolving the same and byrotation of the door at said predetermined speed for rendering the brakemeans active and means for instantly rendering the braking mechanisminefiective, when the speed falls below the predetermined maximum.

21. A device for controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including brake means actuated by a. force independent of the forceapplied to the door for turning the same and functioning when active toprevent rotation of the door above a predetermined maximum, mechanismoperable by rotation of the door at and below said predetermined speedfor respectively rendering the brake means active and inactive and meansfor instantly rendering the braking mechanism in effective,-when thespeed falls below the predetermined maximum.

22. A device for'controlling the speed of rotation of a revolving door,including a normally inactive brake means actuated by a forceindependent of the force applied to the door for turning the same andfunctioning when actuated, to retard the rotation of the door, mechanismoperable by rotation of the door at said predetermined speed forrendering the brake means effective and means for instantly renderingthe braking mechanism ineffective, when the speed falls be low thepredetermined maximum.

Signed at New York in the county of New York, and State of New York this9th day of October, A. D. 1980.

ROBERT L. BLANCHARD.

